Perfect Game Pitchers Signed Baseball (11)

Top-quality example of one of collecting's most desirable theme balls. The "Perfect Game" is one of the rarest and most revered accomplishments in Major League baseball. There have been only 16 pitchers in the history of the game who qualify for membership in this exclusive club. This OAL (Budig) ball is beautifully signed by 11 of these immortal pitchers. Signatures include: Don Larsen (sweet spot), Sandy Koufax, Kenny Rogers, Len Barker, Jim Bunning, David Cone, Mike Witt, Jim "Catfish" Hunter, David Wells, Dennis Martinez, and Tom Browning. Each pitcher has added the date of his perfect game below his signature. The signatures all grade a "9" on a scale of "1 to 10" overall. For all intents and purposes, this perfect game ball is as complete as possible, in that the five missing pitchers are from a much earlier era, are long deceased, and cannot be found on a perfect game theme ball. The missing pitchers (with date of perfect game in parenthesis) are as follows: Cy Young (1904), Addie Joss (1908), Charlie Robertson (1922), Lee Richmond (1880), John Ward (1880). These 11 signature perfect game balls are extremely rare, and are quickly being recognized as one of the few modern era signed classics. There are only 30 balls which were signed by all 11 perfect game pitchers before the untimely passing of Catfish Hunter. The signing of these 30 balls was part of a signing project organized and coordinated with great effort, and at considerable expense, by a former Score Board employee. There were plans to have many additional balls signed, but Catfish Hunter's untimely passing unfortunately made this impossible. It is believed that these 30 balls represent the only perfect game theme balls in existence to ever be signed by all eleven of these pitching immortals. Auction results of other examples over the past couple of years have continually escalated ($3900 in 2001, $4700 in 2002, $5800 later in 2002, and $7755 in 2003). We are not suggesting that this example will sell for more or less than others, but past auction results can sometimes suggest a trend of market value. Few relatively recent signed items approach the significance or rarity of these few special perfect game theme balls. A virtually unimprovable example of one of baseball's most classic and desirable theme balls. The ball is in spectacular Near Mint condition. LOAs from Mike Gutierrez/GAI and James Spence & Steve Grad/PSA DNA. Reserve $1,000. Estimate $5,000/$8,000.SOLD FOR $4,312.50

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